On This Day in History – July 4

by hpmom July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

1776 – The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress.
1802 – The United States Military Academy at West Point officially opened.
1826 – Former U.S. Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
1831 – James Monroe, 5th U.S. President, also died on July 4th, marking the third president to die on Independence Day.
1881 – Tuskegee Institute opened in Alabama with Booker T. Washington as its head.
1939 – Lou Gehrig gave his famous “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech at Yankee Stadium.
1997 – NASA’s Pathfinder probe landed on Mars, deploying the Sojourner rover.
2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) was laid on the former site of the World Trade Center.

Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933), 30th President of the United States
Gina Lollobrigida (1927–2023), Italian actress and photojournalist
Ron Kovic (born 1946), American anti-war activist and author of Born on the Fourth of July
Bill Withers (1938–2020), American singer-songwriter known for “Lean on Me”
Neil Simon (1927–2018), American playwright and screenwriter

John Adams (d. 1826), 2nd U.S. President (b. 1735)
Thomas Jefferson (d. 1826), 3rd U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1743)
James Monroe (d. 1831), 5th U.S. President (b. 1758)
Bob Ross (d. 1995), American painter and television host (b. 1942)

Independence Day (United States) – Commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Liberation Day (Rwanda) – Celebrates the end of the 1994 genocide and the country’s rebirth.
National Barbecue Day and Sidewalk Egg Frying Day (United States, unofficial)

Three U.S. presidents—Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe—died on July 4.
The “Stars and Stripes” flag was first officially adopted on June 14, but most major flag celebrations happen on July 4.
Americans eat approximately 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day.
Fireworks became part of July 4 celebrations as early as 1777 in Philadelphia.
In 1939, Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech became one of the most emotional moments in baseball history—and it happened on this day.